Boating Industry magazine has named the Dometic Smart Touch Integrated Intelligence Control (STIIC) a Top Product of the Year. Boating Industry’s annual Top Products awards program recognizes products for their innovation, impact on the industry and how they advanced their category, or created a new category.

Dometic STIIC is a revolutionary and user-friendly software tool that connects a boat’s Dometic systems such as air conditioning, watermakers, ice makers, refrigeration systems, engine ventilation systems and more to the STIIC network, and interactively communicates with the boat owner. Accessible from a mobile app, STIIC allows boat owners – or their captains or technicians – to monitor all their Dometic systems from one location, such as a car, office or beach house, via mobile phone, tablet or computer.

“Dometic is honored that STIIC has been named a Boating Industry Top Product. With STIIC, Dometic engineers and programmers have come up with a truly unique and convenient solution for boaters: An easy-to-use app that can be used to check a boat system’s status, change its settings, turn it on, turn it off, or diagnose a problem,” said Doug Curtis, VP of Marketing, Dometic Americas. “STIIC effectively acts as a remote control for boats, bringing a whole new level of comfort and control to owners and their passengers.”

STIIC acts as a control point between the boat owner and the Dometic equipment on-board the boat. Products aboard the boat send internet data to secure STIIC servers. The boat owner can access that data via the free STIIC app on a smart phone, tablet, or computer. In addition to troubleshooting, STIIC can be used prior to a voyage to start up the boat’s air-conditioner, ensuring that the vessel is cool and comfortable when passengers arrive to board. It can also be used to activate a boat’s Dometic Sea Xchange watermaker to ensure there is plenty of potable water before setting out.

The STIIC system is easy to set up and understand, but if owners or captains do need help, the same system allows a technician to perform remote diagnostics and talk them through a troubleshooting process without a costly or time-consuming on-site visit to the vessel.

The STIIC network automatically expands as new Dometic products are installed on-board. Use of a product’s STIIC interface is always optional and can be bypassed at any time since each Dometic system retains its independent controls for hands-on operation on-board.

The Dometic STIIC mobile intelligence software also simplifies the integration to ship-wide network control systems. Instead of developing an interface for each Dometic product, third-party software developers only need one connection point to STIIC.

Dometic Marine, announced that the Dometic Eskimo Cup – formerly known as the Dometic Cup Cooler – has received the 2015 John “Walkabout” Sisson Innovation Award from the IBBI, the Independent Boat Builders Incorporated. A new product for the 2015 boating season, the Eskimo Cup is the industry’s first thermoelectric cup holder for boats. It keeps drinks refrigerator-cold, and can replace most standard cup holders onboard pleasure or workboats.

The Sisson Innovation Award rewards suppliers for their innovative thinking and highlights new products that drive the marine industry forward. “Our members voted amongst several new products during our meeting earlier this month. We had great entries this year, but Dometic’s Eskimo Cup really captured the innovative thinking that we look for to honor John Sisson,” said IBBI President, Tom Broy.

The Dometic Eskimo Cup brings a new element of luxury and comfort onboard, keeping drinks refrigerator-cold even on the hottest days. A soda or beer may be cold enough when you pull it out of the ice chest, but from that moment on, it starts warming up. Now, for the first time in the history of boating, your beverage will actually get colder as you drink it.

“When we developed the technology for the Eskimo Cup, we had a singular mission: To invent a cost-effective, easy-to-install device that would keep drinks cold without the need for ice or a cooler,” said Bill Liptak, Dometic product engineer and inventor of the Eskimo Cup. “Boaters can easily and affordably replace their standard 4-inch cup holders with Eskimo Cups. We are delighted to announce to boaters that with this new thermoelectric cup holder, they never need to drink warm beer or soda again.”

Designed as a marine-tough, open-top thermoelectric cylinder that replaces nearly any existing standard 4-inch (102 mm) cup holder, the Eskimo Cup is large enough to fit a 20-ounce (591 ml) water or soda bottle, and also accommodates a standard-size beer or soda can. A specially angled bottom insert keeps bottles or cans of any size in constant physical contact with the sidewall thermoelectric cooling element.

The Eskimo Cup is designed for flush-mounting into decks of various thicknesses. A polished marine-quality 316 stainless steel trim ring finishes the surface installation and is accented with two blue LED interior lights. The aluminum interior has a marine-friendly corrosion-resistant, non-stick surface for easy cleaning. A built-in drain eliminates condensation, rain, and water splashes.

Powered by the house battery, control of all the boat’s Eskimo Cups can be managed with a single switch or set up with zone switching. Each unit includes a low-voltage cut off to avoid a dead battery, a high-voltage cut off to prevent damage to the unit, a high-heat cut off, and an in-line fuse.

We have been very busy during the opening months of 2015, so thought we would share some of our activities with you! BVI Trade Expo We had a large stand at the recent BVI Trade Expo, with featured products from Summit, Paint-Over-Rust, Eaton, Perkins generators and JCB amongst many others. JCB machinery took pride of place outside the expo as well as within – see the picture on our website home page! We were also delighted that our very own Tony Tuckett (pictured) was invited to speak on behalf of the Exhibitors at the opening ceremony. For more pictures of the event please go to the Parts & Power Facebook page. Product News Here is a bulletin on our latest product news:

Meridian Construction recently purchased a JCB 3DX Backhoe loader

The last of the Perkins mechanically governed Marine Engines will be manufactured in 2015. Parts & Power is stocking up on them. But this is the last chance to re-power with a new mechanically governed engine.

Road Town Wholesale purchased a JCB TLT30DHL. It has specially modified forks for a higher lift.

Clarence Thomas Ltd have ordered a JCB TLT35D4x4

We have a new JCB 540-120 with a man basket in stock

Staff News Our latest staff news and training is as follows:

We conducted a training class on Northern Lights generators for staff from the Moorings.

A week long training class was held for staff on the JCB Loadall

Our service manage Clive departed to run the Moorings base in St. Lucia. His successor as service manager is Andrew Bell

A new engineer in Service joined us – Mr Moses Telfo

Our Sales manager Drew Bremner retired and returned to his native Canada

Staff training was held on the new Yanmar SD60

Kester was promoted to Warehouse Supervisor and Somora was promoted to Parts Sales Supervisor

Mark Chambers was hired as a Journey engineer. He has over 30 years experience.

From 5-11 December members from the Northern Lights family visited customers at the Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting (ACYM). The Charter Yacht Show was very successful with 105 yachts ranging in size from 60 ft to 295 ft. In addition there were another 40-50 yachts in Falmouth Harbour which were not in the Show.

Mike Prado, from Deerfield Beach, Chris Krok, from Seattle, and Tom Gerker from NL Distributor Parts & Power visited vessels on Falmouth Harbour Marina, the Yacht Club Marina, the Dockyard Marina and the Catamaran Marina. They found many of the yachts had Northern Lights products on them, both generators and Lugger propulsion engines. In most cases they received nothing but favorable reports from Engineers and Captains. A few vessels had questions or problems that Chris, Product Development Manager, and Tom were able to address. In many cases they found a recurring theme that they had discovered at previous Shows. Many of the NL customers simply needed advice on how to maintain their Northern Lights equipment, and where to go to get information.

They found that, in some cases, customers were overhauling their generators prematurely. Because they had owned competitor’s products in the past who recommended overhauls at 10, 15 or 20,000 hours, they felt that they had to do the same on their NL product. One customer, who had always done meticulous maintenance, overhauled his 155 kw generator at 20,000 hours. He found so little wear that he was tempted to re-use his main bearings. Chris and Tom recommended using oil analysis and valve adjustment measurements to monitor wear, as many Northern Lights generators run well past 30,000 hours with nothing but routine maintenance.

Northern Lights was the only engine or generator manufacturer who attended the show, and have done so for over 15 years, to meet their customers and get their feedback on the performance of their equipment. Having the Product Development manager at the show allowed him to hear the Voice of the Customer to make changes and improvements to the current product and get an idea of what customers were looking for in future products.

After 4 days of visiting customers, Northern Lights, along with local dealers Seagull Services and Marine Power Service, threw a Crew Party at Temo Sports. The crew were able to relax without brokers and owners present. 115 past, present and future NL customers were in attendance. Master of Ceremnonies, Chris, asked Trivia questions and gave out presents to the participants. It was a great crowd of engineers and other crew who mingled with their counterparts from other yachts. Wonderful fellowship was shared and a good time was had by all. The friendly staff at Temo Sports, as they have for many years, kept the drinks flowing and the crowd happy.

Anyone who lives in the Caribbean and has ever owned or worked on a diesel engine equipped boat or machine knows Perkins Engines. Their legendary reliability and serviceability, combined with readily available spare parts at reasonable prices, has made them the engine of preference among discriminating boat and machine owners for years.

Parts & Power is therefore delighted to offer Extended Service Contracts (ESC) for Perkins engines owners and operators.

Extended Service Contracts

Why not give yourself peace of mind from the unexpected and protect you and your engine from additional costs with a Perkins Extended Service Contract (ESC).

An Extended Service Contract covers the cost of replacing defective engine parts, repair time and labour and the travel time beyond the standard warranty period.

ESC’s are designed to help you minimise the downtime caused by breakdowns and stoppages. We offer you tailor made solutions – You choose the coverage that’s right for you from a range of options. You can register for an ESC at any point during your standard warranty period, and the ESC is fully transferable between users.

There are several coverage options depending on your requirements. These include:

PLATINUM

Backed by an unrivaled network of Caribbean Servicing Dealers, with readily available and reasonably priced parts, Perkins Engines remain the best serviced Diesel Engine in the Caribbean. You can be assured that you have someone nearby who can keep your Perkins Engine running at top performance.

Volvo Penta Genuine Parts and Accessories are the exact same parts that were designed and manufactured for the engine and drive when it was originally built. The philosophy of selling genuine parts challenges our point of view as to how we provide aftermarket support.

MATERIALS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Most aftermarket parts are not made to the same standards upon which Volvo engineers insist. They may be made with different materials or compounds that do not meet our specifications. Although they may often look the same, slight variations in manufacturing can result in different performance and durability.

Material specifications for parts can vary greatly. Cost reductions in manufacturing may mean lesser materials are used in producing them. Nongenuine parts are simply copies of the original part, potentially with little or no consideration given to the integrity of the engine or drive and how it functions as a complete engineered system. All of these concerns can lead to failures that will cause additional expenses, extra downtime and unwanted headaches for your customers.

THE VALUE THAT VOLVO PENTA CAN BRING

Measuring the full cost of ownership is more important than looking at just the initial purchase price of a part. That’s because a part that doesn’t do its job over time can reduce the life of other components. In addition, replacing a component prematurely can mean more downtime and more costs, not only in lost revenue but also in parts and labor as well.

There was a television commercial that illustrates this point well. You may have seen the insurance company that promotes the use of genuine parts in their claims. They show a rattlesnake in need of repairs but, instead of getting a genuine rattlesnake tail replacement, he is fitted with a baby rattle that is duct-taped to his body. Needless to say, instead of conveying the agility, intimidation and brutal force that he should, the rattlesnake is ridiculed by all the surrounding rabbits that would normally fear him.

QUALITY FOR THE LONG HAUL

Volvo Penta Genuine Parts exceed industry standards for design, reliability and extended product life. Their features and benefits are proven to combine to save customers time and money by reducing their maintenance and downtime expenses. By using advanced manufacturing processes and high-grade, quality materials, Volvo Genuine Parts assure lower operating costs and deliver long-lasting durability, performance and reliability for outstanding value.

Volvo Penta offers a complete range of Long blocks from 4.3L through to 8.1L.

Remember, the focus of Volvo Penta Reman is always on quality with good value for the consumers. Volvo Penta equates quality to long term cost of ownership vs. not what one can save today.

Volvo Penta offers:
• Factory warranty and service support
• Labor based on Volvo Penta flat rates, not limited

The customer benefits from a stringent Volvo Penta Remanufacturing Process:
• Tightly controlled process, insuring high quality. All engine assemblies are remanufactured to original factory specifications and provide original equipment durability and performance.
• Volvo base engines are completely remanufactured with the correct components as required for the marine environment. The valves, pistons, bearings, timing chain and oil pump are always replaced with new pieces that are equivalent to or better than a new marine engine.
• Camshafts are polished or replaced with new ones, they are never reground.
• Engines are built with correct marine specification stainless steel head gaskets and brass freeze plugs for use in salt water environments.
• 100% magnaflux inspection of all block and cast iron cylinder heads.
• Connecting rods are checked for straightness and twist. If out of tolerance they are replaced, never bent back into shape.
• CNC machinery and computing sets our powertrain apart from the rest. Consistent, reliable machining centers deliver the highest quality standards for all of your remanufactured applications.
• Cutting edge robotics allow for fully automated processing. This flexibility leads to faster turn around time and the accuracy needed to exceed factory standards every time.
• Dynamic Engine Testing: All engines are checked and measured for proper torque to turn, cylinder compression, oil flow, oil pressure as well as audibly monitored for any unusual noises.
• All engines must pass the same rigorous testing, inspection and acceptance standards as new engines before they are program certified.
• Using the original engine specifications, the engines are then continuously monitored for oil pressure, power, torque levels, oil consumption, overall integrity and noise levels.
• Quick Delivery: 2-3 day delivery from date of order to most locations, freight prepaid with a liberal core return policy.

These features set Volvo Penta apart from other engine rebuilders. Volvo Penta doesn’t just fix what’s broken, we remanufacture to today’s specifications. That brings peace of mind to customers that their reman long block is as good as new.

What is an Oil Analysis?
An Oil Analysis is a basic driveline “health check”. The process is simple. The first step is taking a sample of oil from your engine, followed by sending the sample to a laboratory for testing. The next step is a rigorous analysis done at the laboratory where a great amount of data is collected including water/coolant content, viscosity, fuel, contaminates, the amount of metallic particles, and more. The data collected is compared to the data that Volvo Penta has on acceptable limits in Volvo Penta engines. After the testing is complete, a user-friendly report is generated. Then, the analysis can provide early warnings which make possible the timely replacement of components before problems appear and damage occurs.

The main purpose of the analysis is to find problems before they occur to avoid downtime and expensive repairs. If you conduct regular oil analysis, you will be one step ahead of possible damage occurring.

What does Oil Analysis do for Customers?

Oil Analysis can help detect problems early so your dealer can schedule future repairs and part replacement if necessary.

EXAMPLE OF REPORT:

Test for glycol is positive. There is a high concentration of glycol present in the oil. There is a moderate concentration of water present in the oil.

RECOMMENDATION

We advise that you check for the source of the coolant leak. We recommend that you drain the oil from the component if this has not already been done. We advise that you flush the component thoroughly before re-filling with oil. We recommend
an early resample to monitor this condition.

Anyone who lives in the Caribbean and has ever owned or worked on a diesel engine equipped boat or machine knows Perkins Engines. Their legendary reliability and serviceability, combined with readily available spare parts at reasonable prices, has made them the engine of preference among discriminating boat and machine owners for years.

Twentieth Century

Many of us now older generation cut our teeth on the 4.108, 4.236, 4.154 and 6.354. These became known as the “Range 4” engines. These engines have been around since the late 1960’s and early 70’s and many are still in operation.

In the 1990’s emissions requirements forced all engine manufacturers to change the design of their engines. For Perkins, the Range 4 series became the 1000 series, meaning 1 liter displacement per cylinder. The 4.236 became the 1004, and the 6.354 became the 1006. Due to the popularity of the Range 4, the 1000 series were in most cases drop in replacement engines that were a little smaller, a lot quieter and cleaner.

New Millennium

In the 2000’s emissions requirements, once again, forced a change in the Perkins engine design. The resulting engine became the 1100 series (1.1 liter per cylinder). The same size as the 1000 series, due to technological advances in metallurgy and engineering, these engines produced more horsepower, were quieter and cleaner than their predecessor.

Tier 4 introduced in the 2010’s forced yet another change resulting in the 1200 series engines. These engines, with 1.2 liters per cylinder, are designed to meet all the emissions challenges for the foreseeable future. Although designed to meet all the complexities of Tier 4, these engines (as well as the 1000 and 1100 series that are still being manufactured) still come with lower Tier ratings. In some cases these ratings are as low as Tier 0. They are the same engine and the fully emissions compliant version, but without the sophisticated electronics. But they are as compact, quiet and clean as their more sophisticated brethren.

Caribbean Engine Support

Backed by an unrivaled network of Caribbean Servicing Dealers, with readily available and reasonably priced parts, Perkins Engines remain the best serviced Diesel Engine in the Caribbean. So whether you have a 4.236/ 6.354, or a 1204/1206 in the Caribbean, you can be assured that you have someone nearby who can keep your Perkins Engine running at top performance.

It was dawn, and we were running dead-down as we approached a small island (one of 17,508) in smoky, mysterious Indonesia. We’d just sailed 3,200 nautical miles and used the engine exactly three hours, mostly to keep it dry and lubbed. Anyhow, I decided to jibe and furl my large genoa jib. Normally, we both do this but the wind was moderate and the sea fairly smooth. Perhaps I was a tad drowsy. In any event, I attempted it by myself. Without Carolyn (who has sense except when it comes to men) I managed to somehow hopelessly wineglass my genoa jib – for the first time ever I was at sea with a partially furled and partially not furled jib. By the time I realized that it was really, really tangled and I wasn’t going to solve the problem by swearing – I was almost on the beach.

I could hear the surf line ahead-not a nice sound.

My whole 30,000 pound boat was shaking like a rag in a dog’s mouth.

I cranked up, and, thanks to the extra power and good torque of the Perkins M92B (supplied by Parts & Power), was able to power away from the immediately danger… the windy, wave-crashing beach… even as my entire rig was going berserk from the flogging sail attempting to commit suicide and/or sink my vessel.

I needed a lee and I needed it fast.

Thus I revved our Perkins up to 2200RPM and powered into the lee of the same island, and managed to anchor in 147 feet of water-despite almost hitting a salt water crocodile begging for table scraps in the head with our hook! (Amazingly, we were right in front of an ancient Hindu temple-with, perhaps, Ganesh lending a helping or hurting hand!)

Once the anchor was set, and we were both able to think… Carolyn cleared the problem within ten minutes while muttering, “I married an idiot!”

…the lesson learned was to never send a stupid man to do a good woman’s job!

Hooray!

Unfortunately, we couldn’t leave. Our brand new Rocna anchor and our just regalvanised chain was fouled in 147 feet of water – perhaps by the unhappy croc – I dunno.

My anchor gear costs $2,000, and I certainly didn’t want to leave it there. So I tried every trick in the book-nearly yanking my wife (poor, poor woman) and our anchor windlass right off the foredeck. “BANG!” went our one-inch Nylon snubber… making a sound like a cannon shot as it parted.

Nothing.

Only, perhaps, a grinning croc laughing at us on the bottom.

So I finally allowed almost full scope out and almost full power… and, canting the bow way down with steady pressure and a slightly offset rudder… made a slow giant tug-boat circle… until… POP! And we broke off the tip of the mountain or whatever was fouling us below.

Hooray, again, for Perkins and its massive power!

Do I think I could have saved GANESH and twisted up an underwater mountain with a Yammer or Stammer or some other high-revving engine?

I doubt it.

…nobody in their right mind would go up against an ugly salt water crocodile mano-o-mano with one of those pathetic ‘numbers game’ engines!

Thank gosh for my low-RPM, high torque Perkins, and the team who installed it.